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At Last, the Maybach Is Priceless

By Jonathan Schultz August 16, 2012 6:00 amAugust 16, 2012 6:00 am

Mercedes-Benz USAThe $1.38 million Maybach Landaulet, during sunnier times for the ultraluxury brand.

The word “Discontinued” appeared next to the five bottommost items on a price sheet issued recently by Mercedes-Benz USA for its 2013 vehicles. It was a jarring coda to the jumble of dollar signs, commas and digits — many of them stretching to six figures — that preceded it.

“Discontinued” summarized the fate of Maybach, the Weimar-era ultraluxury nameplate resuscitated by Daimler, Mercedes’s parent, at the dawn of the 21st century. The five Maybach models offered for 2012, the 57, 57S, 62 and 62S, and the $1.38 million Landaulet, would be the last of the Maybach line.

Daimler confirmed late in 2011 that its 10-year experiment with the Maybach had reached its terminus, having cost the company $1 billion, as sales languished around 200 units per year rather than the 1,000 benchmarked initially by the German conglomerate.

Final prices for the series-production vehicles ranged from $379,050 for the 57 to $470,350 for the long-wheelbase 62S. (The Landaulet, with a fully retractable rear roof panel, was available by special order.) Earlier this year, to clear its inventory, Mercedes-Benz USA offered cash rebates of up to $100,000 on the 57 and 62.

Far from abandoning the chauffeur-friendly segment in which the Maybach was intended to compete, particularly with Rolls-Royce and Bentley, Daimler has pinned its ultraluxury ambitions on the next generation of the S-Class, the flagship sedan from Mercedes-Benz. An extended-wheelbase version of the S600, powered by the venerable Mercedes V-12 engine that also powered the Maybachs, is expected to wear the Pullman name.

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